"After the siege two hundred years ago, there were not many quincies left in the world of living… And now you say that the person who attacked you was a quincy?"
The captain of the Twelfth Division, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, was the first to ask the question.
No one present understood the situation of the quincies better than him. Ever since the purge two hundred years ago, the quincy population had become increasingly scarce. After becoming captain of the Twelfth Division, Mayuri had devoted considerable effort to studying the quincy race.
He had even once refused to save the last pure-blooded quincy, Ishida Soken, hoping to capture him at the last moment and perform an autopsy for research purposes. Unfortunately, before he could act, Ishida Soken had been snatched away by a Menos Grande and dragged into Hueco Mundo, where he was most likely killed.
This incident had caused Mayuri considerable regret. It was also the reason he became so interested in Ishida Uryu after encountering him in Soul Society. Unfortunately, his attempt to capture Ishida Uryu had ultimately failed because Mazuru, who had not yet betrayed the Soul Society at that time, intervened.
"That's right, they were quincies!"
Sasakibe Chojiro's replied in an extremely firm tone.
"I have fought against them thousands of years ago. I know very well these criminals who once nearly destroyed the Soul Society. I can guarantee it, and if necessary, I am even willing to place my honour as a shinigami on the fact that they were quincies!"
Hitsugaya Toshiro once again revealed a confused look due to his lack of knowledge. Earlier he was unaware about the Kenpachi Azashiro when that prisoner escaped from Muken. Now, after hearing Chojiro's words, he again noticed a key phrase.
"Did you say… thousands of years ago?"
His expression showed clear shock.
According to Chojiro, the quincy had once almost destroyed the Soul Society a thousand years ago.
"Yes. That was a very long time ago."
Chojiro sighed softly. His voice could not conceal the weakness caused by his injuries.
"But that matter is already over, isn't it?" Unohana Retsu, who rarely spoke during meetings, finally opened her mouth.
Her words were meant to comfort Chojiro.
She herself had personally experienced that bloody war a thousand years ago. The number of quincy who had died at her hands was certainly not small.
In her opinion, the greatest threat currently facing the Soul Society was still Hueco Mundo.
Although the appearance of quincy was strange, it was not necessarily a serious problem.
"Perhaps… that past never truly ended."
Captain Yamamoto, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
"What do you mean, Head-captain?"
Komamura Sajin, who had always been one of Yamamoto's most loyal supporters, was visibly startled and the first to react to his words. His face showed clear confusion as he looked toward the captain.
Kuchiki Byakuya, Shiba Kaien, and the other captains also turned their attention toward Yamamoto.
In fact, apart from those who had personally experienced the war a thousand years ago, as well as highly experienced captains like Kyouraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro, most of the captains knew little about that ancient conflict.
Very few people bothered to read the heavy historical records.
Even when some captains encountered the story of that war in the history books, they simply regarded it as a distant past that had long faded away.
As for Shunsui and Jushiro, although they knew about the events of a thousand years ago, their knowledge mainly came from the historical records as well. However, because they were Yamamoto's direct disciples, they understood slightly more than ordinary people.
Yamamoto did not answer the question directly.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward Shunsui.
"Kyouraku Shunsui. You explain it."
Shunsui sighed as soon as he heard the head-captain calling his full name. He knew he couldn't pass the extra work.
"Really… I wasn't even there back then."
Although he complained, he still stepped forward. Facing the captains and vice-captains gathered in the hall, he slowly began to speak.
"I don't know how many of you here have actually read the history books of our Soul Society."
"So, let me begin with this, according to the historical records, about a thousand years ago, an unprecedented war broke out in Soul Society."
"That war was initiated by the quincy forces led by their king, a man named Yhwach."
"Yhwach is the ancestor of all quincy. His possessed terrifying power and under his leadership, the quincy almost conquered most of Soul Society. Only after a bloody battle led by Head-captain Yamamoto and many other shinigami were they finally defeated."
"And in the end, Yhwach himself died at the hands of our Head-captain."
Because many captains and vice-captains present had never read the historical records, Shunsui deliberately began by explaining the events that were written in the history books.
Toshiro lowered his head slightly in embarrassment.
He was one of those who had never read those history books.
He had even foolishly asked about the "thousands of years ago" incident, which was clearly recorded in historical documents.
However, it was not surprising.
Not long after he became a shinigami, the previous captain of the Tenth Division disappeared. In order to shoulder the heavy responsibility of leading the division, he had devoted all his energy to mastering Bankai.
After becoming captain, he had to quickly adapt to the numerous responsibilities of commanding a division.
Under such circumstances, how could he possibly find time to read those seemingly useless history books?
Meanwhile, Ise Nanao, who had accompanied Shunsui to the captain's meeting, already knew the events Shunsui described.
After all, reading was one of her hobbies.
Others present, such as Sui Feng, Kuchiki Byakuya, and Shiba Kaien, also had some understanding of the events from a thousand years ago.
Because of her role in the Onmitsukidō, Sui Feng had access to classified documents, which allowed her to learn fragments of that history. It was similar to how she had heard about the case involving Kenpachi Azashiro earlier, even though she did not know the full details.
Byakuya and Kaien, on the other hand, had received aristocratic education since childhood.
Even though the Shiba clan had declined over the years, their foundations remained. Some aspects of noble education were still passed down to their descendants.
Shunsui's tone changed slightly as he continued speaking.
"However… based on some confidential information and what happened today, although it is difficult to accept, there is a possibility."
He paused for a moment before speaking the next words.
"Yhwach may not be dead."
"The quincies may not have been destroyed as we believed. They may have been hiding in the shadows for a thousand years, quietly accumulating strength… all for the sake of taking revenge on the Soul Society."
"Shunsui, what exactly do you know?"
Jushiro, who was also present at the meeting today, looked at his longtime friend and asked with a serious expression.
Shunsui's expression remained calm.
"I do know quite a lot."
"At first, I thought it was just a lie…"
"But now it seems that it may actually be true."
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]